Ctrl-key gets locked (stuck) when it is held down for a couple of seconds

Anonymous
2013-10-30T17:44:08+00:00

Hello,

I am using a Surface Pro with Type Cover.

When I am selecting multiple items e.g. in Outlook or Windows Explorer I apparently hold down the Ctrl-key and left-click the items with my mouse.

When I select many items it takes certainly a while to select -- if that time span is let's say 10 seconds (may be it's just 5 sec) then my CTRL key locks, meaning, I do not have to hold it down in order to select multiple items. Problem is that you e.g. can't even hit the Windows button on the keyboard and not even the hardware Windows button on the Surface. If your machine falls into Sleep mode you cannot type the password any more. You have to reboot.

It took a while to find out that the Ctrl key was the trouble maker -- then after identifying it as such I tried to unlock it by hitting it 1 more time which works.

So, that is a remedy, however, if you do not notice that the Ctrl key gets locked then your machine also slows down, even the Task Manager (e.g. Performance tab) doesn't update any more. That looks like an overload -- may be because Thousands of 'key down' messages are processed, even if the key is not pushed any more? Just a speculation.

One more thing: the Ctrl key gets only locked when I make the selections with the mouse -- if I select them with the Surface Pen the Ctrl key gets NOT locked.

BTW, I tried two mice: bluetooth and wi-fi -- both deliver the same result, it doesn't matter.

Anyway, I am not aware that something like a 'sticky key' would exist for the Ctrl key? Does it? At least I have not turned on or seen such access feature activated. Also, no, my keyboard is not filled with crumbs. And it is unlikely that it would lock when I use the mouse but not if I use the Pen...

And the Ctrl Lock-down seems wrong -- is it?

Type cover bug? or am I unaware of the 'sticky key' feature?

Frank

Surface
Surface

The Surface family includes Surface Pro, Surface Laptop, and other Surface products. Surface is designed to help organizations, students, and consumers be more productive.

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2013-11-04T22:32:13+00:00

Greetings all,

New update: 5/21/14

We are still investigating this issue and hope to make progress soon.

Just a quick update (2/10/14).

We are actively investigating this issue and will work on a resolution to ensure our customers have the best possible experience on their Surface devices.

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73 additional answers

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-02-25T21:15:54+00:00

    +1 here, I though it was only mine... really frustrating!

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-02-26T13:31:32+00:00

    +1 here, I though it was only mine... really frustrating!

    Same thing with Surface Pro 1. My issues usually start with Outlook (desktop mode) when tryng t move emails by selecting them with CTRL + mouse) to another folder.

    Removing cover and firmware update did not do anything

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-03-05T13:53:30+00:00

    Same problem here after all the Feb updates (Surface Pro 1 - 128GB)

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-03-13T01:46:05+00:00

    I having the same issue while using ACAD, Sketchup or Illustrator, till now. After some time of work on any of these programs, the Shift, Ctrl or Alt key will get stuck randomly and mess all of my inputs. A reboot is necessary every time. The blue screen with refresh settings comes on every time as well on this reboot which freaks me out quite a bit. It is today the 12th of march 2014 and the ISSUE is STILL NOT FIXED with updates. This is very disappointing after spending quite a pretty penny on this product that I really wanted to love. (Surface Pro 128GB + TypeCover 2)

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